Harry Potter and the Silver Tree
by Sithel
Summary: Harry's 5th year: Word has spread of the school's greatness in the Tournament and now students from other countries are pouring in. Add the increased threats to "Mud-Bloods and Muggle Lovers" that begin to pop up and stir. H/R H/H G/D (and more) [Status
1. Forward - Author's Note

Title: Harry Potter and the Silver Tree  
Disclaimer: Honestly, haven't you read enough of these? J..K. Rowling wrote the series, go look her up. She is a nice lady, so send her some flowers as well. And a box of chocolates, I'm sure she'd like those.  
Author: Sithel  
Summary: After winning the Tri-Wizard tournament, Hogwarts has achieved international acclaim and new students from around the world flock to it. But Voldemort has risen and rough times are ahead for all Mud Bloods and Muggle lovers. Will Harry be able to have a normal school year for once or will the taint of You-Know-Who's power seep into even Hogwarts?  
Pairings: Harry/Hermione, Ron/Hermione, Hermione/No One, Draco/Ginny, Neville/New Person, Snape/New Person, Hagrid/Olympe (not all of these are the center of the plot, so don't worry ^^ )  
  
Guarantees: This is a song/slash/prophecy free fic. This story WILL have an end/has a pre-planned ending.   
  
Though I personally like my FanFiction, here are some Pros/Cons people may find with it, based off of the majority of stories I have read.  
Pros of this FanFiction (for the majority): It is based on the Harry Potter book series, it has a plot (the author IS going somewhere with everything), it centers around Harry Potter, it has Ron, it has Hermione, it has Snape being more then just a villain, time and thought has gone into this fic, it tries to pick up as best as it can after book 4, Draco is written as more then just a villain, there is more then just romance, the real characters are not forgotten (Seamus, Dean, Parvati)  
  
Cons of this FanFiction (for the majority): suffers from minor Mary Sueism (but only a little!!), it has a plot (it is not all intense action), not all accents have been written [correctly], it has Ron, it hints at Snape romance, this author can not write Hagrid, it tries to make Draco less of the real meanie-poo he really is, there is romance, there are a lot of new characters, there are *gasp* Americans  
How Far: [Start ] **X******** [ End ]  
  
Thankyou Jneius Jenna, Hermione A. Snape (nice name), dancediva87, Wild Goddess, Kayte, and Fallen Darkness (another cool name) for reviewing! It means sooooo much (even if it is one sentance or so) 


	2. A touching farewell by the Dursleys

  
Due to the fact that that it was a miserable day and he was in the company of miserable people, Harry Potter was not in too much of a good mood. Thick storm clouds hovered above the little pavilion, misting the air with a faint drizzle and managing to make the whole atmosphere feel damp and dank. Uncle Vernon's laughter echoed through the tent along with several other newly initiated members of the Boxmore's Country Club as they fawned over one of the senior member's, Joxer Williams, poorly told jokes. His belly shook as he "Haw Haw"ed loudly and his face turned a deep shade of red. The sight was enough to make Harry sick, but that might have just been from Mrs. Williams's fruit salad that Aunt Petunia had made him eat.   
Perhaps it was the Dursleys' form of revenge against Harry for his attending. It wasn't his fault that someone messed up along the lines of communication and let it be known that the Dursleys had two children and not just one. Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had sought desperately to come up with a valid excuse to explain Harry's absence for the family welcome party. The idea of Harry being in the hospital was entertained briefly but quickly rejected for fear of questions about why he was there.  
So here Harry was stuck, crammed in under a too crowded tent being forced to gag down home poisoned food by various important members' wives. These woman could teach even Professor Snape a thing or two about brewing poisons, especially the short pig-nosed one who had concocted a strange sludge she claimed was a foreign recipe for both a salad dressing and a drink. Harry shuddered and hoped not even Aunt Petunia would be cruel enough to make him take some more of that one.  
Hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees, Harry watched the rain poor down and the occasional bird who would brave the weather to flit from tree to tree. He had written Professor Dumbledore a week ago asking if and when he would be allowed to leave the Dursleys. Mrs. Weasley had made it very clear in the last letter she had sent him that he would be welcome to stay with them whenever he managed to get away from his Aunt and Uncle. Harry couldn't help but grin as he remembered the scribbled out 'those horrible Muggles of yours' she had initially written before addressing them as something a bit more tactful. Reaching down, he picked a blade of grass which he began to shred absent mindedly.  
The Weasleys' letter was not the only one still on his mind. Hermione had written him just two days ago about her time at the beach with Viktor. They would be there a week more and though she sounded like she was having a pleasant time, he was still a little nervous. Krum was at least three years older then her and the idea of possibility of them dating seemed... unnerving. Perhaps it was just Ron, who continued to send him posts every other day expressing his fear of what an unattended Victor and Hermione might be capable off despite her constant reassurances to her them both that they were 'just friends'. Ron's response, directed to Harry of course, was: "And what are we, rotted cabbage? Why aren't we with her at the beach?" He didn't know about Ron, but the thought of Hermione in a swim-suit was... unsettling.  
He had a pile a couple inches high of shredded grass before he realized what he was doing. Sighing, he stood up and caught sight of Aunt Petunia moving towards him, a tall thin woman carrying a plate of what looked like fried something trailing along behind her. Looking about frantically, he wondered if he should try and brave the crowd and escape to the little boys room before remembering that was where Dudley was hiding. Not even the great love of her Dudley-poo would prevent Aunt Patunia from exposing him to the horrors of taste-testing her new friends' food. Sucking it up, he stood up straight and resigned himself to his fate, all the while toying with the idea of expressing his feelings for the food this time by vomiting it up onto the woman's lovely white shoes.  
As the fates would have it, Harry was saved from the provable frying pan by being promptly tossed into fire. The loud hoot that sounded throughout the air was just a momentary warning before the feathery white form of Hedwig soared under the tent-top and began circling as she hooted again. As if that wasn't bad enough, the small feathery projectile also known as Pig shot under the pavilion and began to hoot frantically. There were several screams from the woman, and a lout 'THUMP' or two as a couple fainted away right on the spot. Aunt Petunia couldn't seem to make up her mind as she gave a strangled half-croak, half-yell and collapsed onto the grassy floor in a heap. Her plate hefting friend also rolled her eyes up in her head and toppled over, dropping the plate and saving Harry the effort of smearing the horribly fried food across her fine white clothing.   
Hedwig spotted him and winged it over to land on his shoulder. Pig on the other hand looked utterly confused by the mass of shrieking people as he rolled and dived, scattering feathers everywhere and landing in the occasional poorly cooked dish. By the time the smaller owl had managed to find him, perching on the chair Harry had just vacated, he was covered in an assortment of glistening oils, two spinach leaves, and a scrap of some kind of meat with he gnawed on happily. It might have been comical if not everyone in the room had stopped to stared, those who were still standing of course. Almost everyone was shocked, one or two looked amused, and only Uncle Vernon's face held that interesting mix of hatred, anger, and fear. A groan from the crumpled form of Aunt Petunia told him she two would be up and glaring at him any moment now.  
A affectionate nip from Hedwig caused him to break eye-contact with Uncle Vernon and slowly turn to direct his gaze towards the owls. A large pouch was tied to Hedwig's left leg and a letter bound to the right. Numbly, he reached down and undid the letter. "What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Williams called out in indignation. From the irritated look on his face, he was not fond of owls interrupting him while telling a joke. "Vernon, isn't that your kid?" he asked. A sudden flurry of whispering broke out around the tent while Uncle Verrnon's mouth worked open and shut several times without making a sound. All the bull-necked man was able to do was produce a faint squawking noise in the end and look very very horrified.  
Harry noticed none of this as he gazed down in surprise at the letter Hedwig had brought him. In a clear crisp handwriting, it read:  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
Dear Harry Potter-  
  
Taking into consideration your many requests, your current situation, and the requests on part of the Weasleys, I am happy to announce that should you choose, you have the school's and the Ministry's support to spend the rest of your summer with Weasley family. The fireplace of house number four on Privet Drive has been temporarily hooked up to the Floo Network to aid you in reaching the Weasley household at your leisure. Included is also some Floo powder to use in case you do not have any of your own on hand.   
  
I look forward to seeing you again next school year-  
  
Albus Dumbledore  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Reaching out, he brushed his fingers against the leather pouch of floo powder. The fear he had been feeling just moments before about how the Dursleys would react to the appearance of Hedwig and Pig was washed away with happiness. They couldn't hurt him any more, he was free. His eyes unfocused for a bit at the pleasantly warming thought of never having to come back to the Dursleys again. The owl seemed to sense just how much her presence was wanted and so the moment Harry removed the pouch from her leg, Hedwig took to wing and flew out of the tent, causing several women who had just managed to reach their feet to topple over again. Pig on the other had continued to sit and look around after Harry had retrieved the letter. This one was from the Weasleys and said basically the same thing as Dumbledore's as well as informing him they were so happy and they already had a room set up for him.  
Harry's happy moment was ruined though as the bulky form of Uncle Vernon approached, backed by the still slightly shaking Aunt Petunia. Harry poked Pig in his feather chest, trying to get him to fly off again but only a hurt look in return. "Shoo!" he hissed between clenched teeth, very worried about what Uncle Vernon might do if he could get his hands on the actual cause of all this mess. Oh wait, Harry thought, that's me. Now wondering who had more to fear, himself or the bird, Harry prepared for the worse. And the worst was what he got.  
"You... foolish... stupid... boy..." Uncle Vernon said, biting off each word with hate and twisting his face as if they tasted bad to him. His meaty hands clenched and unclenched as if he wanted to hit Harry.  
"You ungrateful brat!" Aunt Petunia snapped at him, moving out from behind her husband. Now shield from view from the rest of Boxmore's Country Club by his bulk, she stepped forward and jabbed a finger in Harry's chest. "You know how long your Uncle and I have been working to get into this club! This means everything for our future! And now look what you have done!" Another jab. "Ruined it! They'll never stop talking about how owls and strange things are attracted to us! We'll be the talk of the town!" Jab. Jab. "And its all your fault! You stupid, worthless, ungrateful boy!" Fifth jab to the chest finished it off before she too fell back to shaking in rage. With her eyes all squinty like they were, her nose wrinkled, and her upper lip pulled back, Harry had never before realized how much she resembled a braying ass..   
Looking down, she caught sight of Pig. "Eyyeeek!" she cried, pointing at it. Uncle Vernon, spurred on by her cry, reached out to grab Pig. Fortunately, the owl finally got it through its head that it was un-welcome and fluttered up into air. Roaring with rage, Uncle Vernon proceeded to wave his hands around in the air, trying to swat the owl down. The little ball of panicked feathers was too quick for him though and sped away in a hasty escape to the freedom of the surrounding park. This left only Harry for them to focus their rage on.   
Turning back to Harry, Uncle Vernon's rage deepened his face to a never-before-seen shade of red. "We... Go.... NOW," he managed to choke out before turning on his heal and stomping off. Aunt Petunia turned as well and quickly fluttered over to a shaken looking Mrs. Williams. Harry didn't know or care what excuses she gave the woman. Numbly he shoved the two letters into his pocket along with the precious bag of floo powder. As he started towards the car the crowd of rich Club members parting before him. No one wanted to touch the strange Dursley boy who owls flew.  
When he finally escaped from under the tent, Uncle Vernon and Dudley were just leaving the little boys room. Uncle Vernon wouldn't even look at him but Dudley took the time out of his day to turn and stick his tongue out at Harry. Clenching his fist in rage, Dudley mouthed silently to him 'You've done it now' before climbing into the back seat of the car. Aunt Petunia hurried past him, and quickly climbed into the passenger seat. When Harry reached the car and moved to open the door, he heard a sudden 'Whoomp' sound as Uncle Vernon pressed the automatic locking button. Dudley scooted over to the window at which Harry stood and leered at him. Neither Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon would even look at him.   
Ignoring Dudley on the other side of the glass, Harry tapped on the window. "Uncle Vernon," he said, the uneasy feeling in his stomach rising to his throat. "Uncle Vernon, let me in." Mr. Dursley turned the key and the engine roared to life. Harry was beginning to get panicked. Reaching down he pulled on the handle. "Uncle Vernon, let me in! Please!" The man never even looked at him as he shifted the gears in the car. Dudley was roaring with laughter now and he could see how strained Aunt Petunia looked through the side mirror. Harry hardly had time to leap back and save his toes as the car suddenly lurched forward and tore down the gravel road.  
They had left him there. Left him there in the rain in a park he had never been too before out in the countryside. Looking around and feeling rather numb, he tried to figure out what to do. Uncle Vernon had strictly forbidden Harry to take his wand with him, and he had just sent away Hedwig and Pig. But Harry was a strong boy and not one to give over to despair. Fighting down the urge to give up and cry, he started to walk down the road.   
  
*****  
  
His feet hurt and he was soaked to the skin. The rain had only gotten more intense the farther he had gotten from the park and now each rain-drop was marble sized. Added in the fact that the sun was sinking towards the horizon at a dangerously fast rate, he would be freezing in no time at all when the darkness came. He had managed to reach a main road about a half an hour ago with its large cars roaring by and occasionally splashing him with even more water.   
The letters he had put in his pocket remained dry and un-smeared, thanks to some charm or another put on them by their sender, and he could only hope the same for the floo powder. His entire future could almost be said to be contained in that one little pouch. All he needed to do was get back to the Dursley's house and use their fireplace. That was all, that was it. And then his life would be happy and free again. Harry did not even allow himself to think what might happen if they didn't let him in the house.  
Another car roared past him, sending up a rather muddy spray of water that added to his gradually browning color. Unlike the other 50 or so that had already gone by him, this one began to slow and stopped. Gulping and suddenly worried about the dangers even Muggles could be for wandless wizards, Harry approached the car with caution. It was small, painted a bright shade of blue, and to his surprise had tinted windows. He stood before one of them, shaking and shivering for a moment or two and imagining a hundred frightful things about who the possible driver could be, before it slowly lowered. The sight inside shocked him so much, he took a step backwards.  
The inside of the car was a brilliant lime green. The voices of two women singing a duet and accompanied by a guitar echoed from inside, along with the faint smell of... herbs. A middle-aged woman with short black hair and a smile sat behind the wheel. Leaning over, she peered out the window and up at Harry. "Hey, kid," she said with that odd drawl that was common with Americans. Oh dear God, thought Harry, not an American. "You okay? You need a ride somewhere?" She smiled again and Harry looked down at his feet.   
He had never gotten a ride from a stranger before, but then again he was never left cold and lost out along a highway side at night either. The two women on the radio rose their were singing about the environment and the government, rhyming such lines as 'destroying their natural habitat' and 'the corrupted politician who is fat'. The lady seemed harmless enough so raising his head, Harry nodded. Although it seemed impossible, she smiled even wider and unbuckled her seatbelt. Harry took a second step back but she only twisted in her seat to reach back behind her and rummage around. When she turned back around and dropped down, she placed a wooly yellow blanket on the passenger seat.  
"There ya' go," she said cheerfully. "Climb on in and spread that baby out so ya' don't get mud-water all over my lovely seats." Patting the revoltingly bright green seats with a grin, she pushed the auto-unlock button. Gulping, Harry pulled open the door and hurried to set up the blanket. Just standing here with the window open had let enough water in that a small puddle was already forming in the bottom of the seat. When he finally slid into the car and onto the blanket, he winced at how quickly his muddy cloths ruined the bright yellow. The window rolled up on the door as the woman pushed a button and when he slammed it shut, the sound of pounding rain was instantly cut off. That left Harry alone in a strange car with a strange woman and only the sound of two environmentalists belting their hearts out.  
Shifting into drive, the woman glanced over her shoulder before pulling back into traffic. There was an awkward pause. "So," she said in a light voice, "my name is Sasha Shoe. What's yours?" She glanced over at him and instantly Harry saw her eyes go to his forehead. The rain had managed to flatten his normally unruly hair, leaving his scar visible between his bangs. Quickly turning his head to stare out the window he muttered his name in reply.  
Sasha nodded her head, either in reply or in time with the music and drove on for a bit more without saying anything for another long pause. "So, where ya' headed?" she asked eventually. Harry had never been one to travel, the Dursley's always keeping him at home under the stairs when they could.  
"Privet Drive," he mumbled to the car door.  
"Privet Drive? Hmm... never been there..." Harry glanced over at the woman as she chewed on her lip. "Can ya' think of anything a bit... broader perhaps?" Harry shook his head mutely. Walking along the road, he had known he was lost. His heart sank as he realized just how lost he really was.   
"It has to be kind of close..." he said half-heartedly. "I was just at the Boxmore's Country Club and it is only about a half an hour away from there."   
Sasha turned to him again, raising an eyebrow this time. "You mean to tell me, kid, you walked from Boxmore's to where I found ya' in the rain all by yourself?" Harry winced, not really wanting to explain why it had happened, and nodded again. Sasha whistled and shook her head. "My, what you English kids are made of. Here now, open up the glove compartment in front of ya and pull out that there map. See if you can find your Privet drive on it."  
Harry did as he was instructed and was amazed at everything else Sasha had in there. When he opened the compartment, a pile of papers tumbled out onto his lap, immediately getting wet and ruined when they came in contact with his soaking cloths. He tried to apologize but she just waves a hand dismissingly. "Insurance papers, blah. Garbage all, really. See that big blue packet? That's the map." Giving up on trying to stuff as many papers as he could back into the small compartment, Harry unfolded the map and glanced at it.  
After about five minutes of studying and questioning and accidentally causing water-damage to half of England's countryside when the paper drooped down to touch Harry's lap, they figured out where he lived and that it happened to be about 15 minutes in the opposite direction from where they were going. Without much pause, Sasha glanced over her shoulder and spun the wheel. The little blue car jumped in response to her command and did a complete 180 degree turn in the middle of the road with cars not too far away on either side. Harry paled and gripped the door handle next to him and he heard a loud crashing noise from whatever used to be on the back seat.  
The two singers and been reduced now to one who raised her voice in protest against the industrial mills and how we all needed to save the salmon. Harry winced as she hit a particularly sour note and watched Sasha out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't said anything about his scar but he could have sworn there was a hint of recognition in her eyes when she saw it. On the other hand, what witch would drive car like this. Other then its odd colors and poor music selection, it was perfectly normal. It wasn't something you could just flat out and ask. "Yes, Mrs. Shoe? You wouldn't happen to be a witch, would you?" Harry had no desire walking the rest of the way home, now that the sun had fallen and the rain continued to poor down.  
Clearing his throat, Harry turned back to watch the windshield wipers fight the rain. "Thank you, Mrs. Shoe, for going out of your way to drive me home," he offered up tentatively. He would have added more but she waved a hand again.  
"Oh tut-tut. What kind of person would I be leaving a poor freezing child out there in the rain," she said. Harry bristled a bit at being called a child. He was going to be 15 soon and hardly felt he classified as a child. "Besides, I'm was only on my way to the nursery. The babies are fine and a little wait before reaching home wouldn't hurt them." She waved a hand to gesture towards the back seat and Harry paled as he remembered the crash he heard when she turned.  
"You have... babies in your back seat?" He asked nervously without looking back. The possibility of seeing squished baby matter all over lime green seats held no appeal for him. As if reading his might she laughed brightly.  
"A plant nursery, Harry, a plant nursery. I'm rather fond of plants and I've got a few I'm particularly fond of that I call my babies. Much better then the real thing, if you ask me. None of that silly dirty diapers or anything like that. And quiet too," She flashed a grin at him. "And no, they are in the trunk. Safely tucked into their custom made pot seat belts. I just have my dishes, and glass where on the back seat." Laughing again, she turned down a road that was beginning to look familiar to Harry.  
"I just moved here, you see," she said to him. "I'm American," she added and winked. "But ya' wouldn't have guess." Harry grinned back at her exaggerated Southern American accent she added to the statement.   
"Is America nice?" he asked with honest curiosity. "I've lived in England my whole life."  
"Ahhh... America... If England were heaven, then America would be hell. Go to the first for the scenery and the later for the company." Harry smiled when she did at the statement although he didn't think he fully understood what she meant.   
Any future chance to investigate farther the life of Sasha Shoe was lost as they neared Privet drive and Harry had to direct her through the turns. When they finally pulled up to a stop in front of house number four, Harry felt reluctant to get out of the car. True, he had the amazingly heart warming prospect of living with the Weasleys to look forward to, but the formable task of actually getting back into the house and reaching the fireplace was a daunting one.  
Apparently he hesitated to long, for Sasha reached over and touched his arm lightly. "You okay, kido?" she asked, a look of worry clearly seen in her eyes. Gulping, Harry nodded and unbuckled his seat belt. He had almost forgotten it was raining but was quickly reminded the moment he stepped outside. Shivering from the sudden temperature change between Sasha's warm car and the cold of night, Harry waved goodbye and shut the door behind him. If he thought she would simply speed off, he was wrong, for she sat there and waited behind those tinted windows of hers.   
Straightening his back, he marched himself to the door. To know he was so close to freedom gave him hope, yet he surprised even himself as he reached out a steady hand to ring to doorbell. There was a long pause and a hundred and one reasons why they might not be home leapt into mind. Perhaps they felt so ashamed, they had fled town? Perhaps they had gone out to eat? Perhaps they were all out shopping (never mind the fact that Aunt Petunia always did that herself)? Perhaps they- the door opened an inch.   
Aunt Petunia's eye peered at him and then flicked to the bright blue car parked in front of her house. "Who is it?" Harry heard Uncle Vernon's voice from somewhere deeper in the house. The eye rolled back to focus its glare on Harry.  
"Him!" Aunt Petunia hissed. The door began to close when he heard a voice behind him.  
"Harry?" Sasha asked. She had rollen down the window and was leading across the passenger seat to see him. "Harry, is everything okay?" Harry turned back to Aunt Petunia's eye.  
"I got a letter from them," Harry said in a quiet voice. "They said I can come live with them. All I have to do is get my stuff and use your fireplace. I'll be out of your lives forever." Sasha called his name out again and he could see the brow above Aunt Petunia's eye furrow.  
The door in front of him closed. Harry felt his jaw drop and the panic rise again. They weren't going to let him in! But a soft 'clink clink' could be heard as Aunt Petunia undid the chain lock and opened the door far enough for him to squeeze through. But rather then rush inside, Harry turned and waved to the woman in the car. "Goodbye, Mrs. Shoe! Thank you!" He could see the worried look did not leave her face, but before either of them could say more, Uncle Vernon's hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him inside. His toes had barely cleared the doorway when Aunt Petunia slammed the door closed. Both of them towered over him and he gulped.  
Harry gulped and waited. "You... you..." Mr. Dursley eventually managed to sputter. But his wife cut him off.  
"You're filthy! Look at you! Dripping muddy water everywhere! Don't move!! Vernon, Dudley, get his stuff. I don't want him tracking mud through this house like the filthy dog he is!" The chubby boy might have complained, but his father grabbed his shoulder and dragged him upstairs. Aunt Petunia continued to glare at him as the other two members of the Dursley family dragged Harry's stuff over to the railing and dropped it. Harry winced with ever crash or crunch he heard but knew he couldn't do anything about it. When Dudley tossed his cauldron over the railing and managed to chip the hallway table, Harry grinned at the scowling Aunt Petunia.   
When everything was finally piled up, Aunt Petunia went and got three garbage bags. Two were given to shove all the loose clothing into that had come directly from Harry's dressers and the third was given to Harry himself. "I don't want you dripping filth from here to the fireplace," she snapped. And so Harry hopped over to the fireplace in a garbage bag, the last of his possessions trailing behind him. Uncle Vernon pulled the grate away from the fireplace and stepped back. They were all staring at him.  
Looking at the cold fireplace, Harry felt his heart sink. "I need a fire in order to leave," Harry said, staring Uncle Vernon straight in the eye. The large man simple growled and stalked into the kitchen. The sound of cupboards banging could be heard for several moments before he stalked back in. A small match box was clasped in his beefy hands. Reaching down, get snatched up a scroll. Without pausing, the man lit a match and put it to the scroll which quickly caught fire to Harry's horror. Tossing the burning paper into the cold fireplace Uncle Vernon snarled.  
"Now there's your fire! Get!" Harry stared in horror at what used to be his half written assignment on the founders of Hogwarts for History class. It was burning merrily but was hardly large enough for Harry to step into. "Not big enough?" Uncle Vernon asked from behind him. Before Harry could turn around and protest, a book flew into the fire and burst into flames.   
"NO!" cried Harry as he tried to reach into the now a bit larger fire to save the book. Dudley, who thought this was now hilariously funny reached into the pile of books. His joyous grin was quickly wiped away as the book he was holding bit him. Exclaiming in pain, he flung this one into the fire as well. The pain filled shrieks of Harry's old Care for Magical Creatures book echoed through the house and caused the Dursleys to draw back a step. Now with two large books and half a scroll, the fire was decent size.   
"You have your fire now, boy," Uncle Vernon said with a dark look. "Go, and never come back!" Harry turned around in his plastic garbage bag to look one last time at the people who raised him but had never been his family. He searched for something to say, something biting and witty and mean but could find nothing. The shrieking of the book was the only sound in the room as Harry gathered up his stuff. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out the pouch and opened it. Taking a deep breath and a pinch of the powder, he tossed it into the fire who's flames instantly turned green. The shrieking of the book was silenced as the magic took hold.  
"The Burrow!" Harry cried as he hopped into the fire and left the Dursleys for good.  



	3. Happy times

  
//"The Burrow!" Harry cried as he hopped into the fire and left the Dursleys for good.//  
Swish. Swish. Was that someone getting dressed? Swish. Swish. Swish. Harry spun past a multitude of fireplaces, catching less then half a seconds glimpse of what lay beyond. Swish. Swish. He felt he was going to be sick when the spinning stopped so abruptly that he fell forward onto cool stone floor.  
"OH!" exclaimed a voice he knew he would remember if his head would just stop spinning. Harry groaned and tried to roll over but found himself buried under all his possessions. Apparently the garbage bags the Dursleys had given him had split open during his floo travels. The question of how to escape from under his belonging was alleviated when they were levitated due to a sharp twitch of Mrs. Weasley's wand.  
"Mom! Who is it?" Ron shouted from somewhere upstairs as his mother helped Harry to his feet and out of the garbage bag Aunt Petunia had stuck him in.  
"Oh, Harry," she breathed taking in the soaking wet and rather muddy sight of him. "It's Harry!" she said again, raising her voice this time for the rest of the house to hear. This was greeted with various yells of joy and the sound of enough stomping feet to qualify as a stampede. Ron, Fred, and George all burst into the kitchen and pulled up to a sudden halt when they saw him.  
"What happened to you?" Ron asked in surprise. A small puddle of muddy water was forming under Harry and causing water damage to several of his scrolls.  
"The Dursleys. The Dursleys happened to me," he said in a sour tone and proceeded to tell them of what happened. Mrs. Weasley was dabbing at her eyes when he had finished, having broken down when he got to the part where they nearly drove over his toes and could be heard muttering "those horrible Muggles" repeatedly.  
"Well, deary, you'll be staying with us for now so it will all be better." Mrs. Weasley assured Harry. "You'll be staying in Ron's room, everything is set up." Looking down at all of Harry's stuff which lay scattered around the floor, she frowned slightly. "But for now… why don't you run upstairs. Wash up and we'll get you a pair of clean robes. Ron, show him where the bathroom is and you two," she said, fixing a glare at the twins, "pull yourselves away from that lab and take Harry's stuff up to his room."  
With the orders now given, the boys all started to move about. Ron lead a still dripping Harry out of the kitchen and up a dangerously tilted stairway. Digging around in the closet for a moment, he found Harry an old robe and some towels before directing him to the bathroom. Decorated with sunflowers and having a mirror that gave offhanded compliments every now and then, it was like nothing in the Dursleys house and Harry loved it. Even if he was a little hesitant to undress before the mirror.  
By the time he was mud free and dressed in clean robes, he made his way to Ron's room. Having been to the Burrow twice before, it almost felt like the happy home he never had. Ron's room was small and the cot they had moved in for him did not help. All his stuff had been piled either next to or under the cot. Ron was busy piling blankets up on Harry's bed, leaving him free to look around  
Harry grinned as he noticed a picture of a pretty girl in a swimsuit, who at the moment was smiling and waving, tacked to Ron's wall. His grin disappeared though when he leaned closer and saw who is was. "Ron!" Harry cried out in surprise as the red-headed boy reached around him and snatched the picture of Hermione off the wall with a blush.  
"What are you doing with that on your wall?!?" Harry exclaimed in shock and accusation. Pictures of nearly undressed Hermione were wrong to have on one's wall. She was like… like… their sister. Right?  
Ron continued to blush as he glanced at the picture before slipping into a desk drawer. "She sent it to me," he said. "Why would she send me a picture that she didn't want me to have?" He had the defensive tone of one who is guilty of something and Harry quickly decided to change the subject.   
"Well… okay… ummm… Did you finish the report for History?" he asked quickly, remembering his half finished and fully burned one. Ron rolled his eyes and groaned.  
"Of course not! Its summer!" Ron exclaimed and then broke down laughing when Harry did.   
  
****  
  
The summer passed quickly at the Weasley house, full of fun and joking between Harry and Ron. For the first time in his life, Harry actually had people around to celebrate his birthday with and quite a birthday it was. Mrs. Weasley had baked a huge cake for him, big enough to feed the family and Hermione even came over for the day. Cake was had, gifts given (a special guest appearance was made by Fred and George's latest creation- The Dunker's Drink – which would cause a bucket of water to suddenly appear and nearly drowned all who took a sip), and Ron tried to get the real truth of what happened between Hermione and Viktor during their stay at the beach. In the end, a much tanner then usual Hermione told Ron she was indeed pregnant with Viktor's child and that she would be dropping out of Hogwarts to run away with him and live in Munga-Munga. Ron, taking this the wrong way, had managed to spray the butterbeer he had been drinking at the time all over a laughing Ginny who's humor was cut rather short at that point. Hagrid had sent him a letter for he was abroad with Olympe and could not attend. He also sent a ring picked up from wherever they were that would let you produce a small frame when you snapped your fingers. Fred and George had immense fun with this, snapping their fingers in front of everyone's nose until they accidentally lit Ginny's bangs on fire and were soundly scolded by their mother.  
All in all, this was a summer Harry would not have minded extending. Two days before the term started, Ron and Harry met up with Hermione in Diagon Alley. The three of them quickly gathered up their new school supplies, Harry picking up another copy of the two books Uncle Vernon had burned, before settling down to have Ice Cream. As Ron and Harry tried to see who could shove the bigger spoonful into their mouth, Hermione watched the passing crowd intently. "Is it just me," she asked, "Or are there a lot more kids here then there should be?"   
Blinking in surprise, Harry looked around while Ron tried to talk around a mouthful of quickly melting ice cream. "wha' a' een'?" he managed, chocolate ice cream dribbling down from the corner of his mouth. Hermione scowled and handed him a napkin.  
"Don't talk with your mouth full. And what I mean is look at all these people. Last year I knew almost all the others but this year… I mean look. I know he doesn't go to Hogwarts!" she said, pointing to a slender boy with silky black hair pulled back in a pony tail. As if sensing Hermione, he turned his pale blue eyes on her and raised an eyebrow. Blushing she quickly lowered her hand and looked away. "And her! Look at her, she isn't a Hogwarts student," Hermione hissed, restraining from pointing this time. Harry looked over and saw a short plump girl with her flaming red hair done up in an interesting mix of curls and braids.   
Now that Hermione mentioned it, both Ron and Harry found themselves surrounded by many students they had never seen before. Furthermore, most of them appeared to be foreign. Extremely foreign, Harry thought, as an oriental looking mother and her two young children hurried by him chatting away furiously in what might have been Japanese.   
"Maybe… maybe there is a really good sale going on somewhere," Ron offered helplessly as he watched a mother and her tall, and dark haired son bicker in Arabic over a pair of robes she wanted him to wear.  
"I don't think so," said Hermione said, gathering up her new school materials. "These people are buying school supplies. I think you should mention it to your dad tonight. See what's going on." She shrugged and waved to her parents who were waiting to leave. "Its only two more days, I'm sure we'll find out then. Well, have to go… see you guys at the train station!"  
Ron and Harry waved goodbye to her as she and her parents headed for the Leaky Culdron where they were saying. A half an hour later they headed back to the Burrow with an excited Mr. Weasley. Having spent half a day with the Grangers, he was still spinning once they stepped out of the fire place. "To think," he said with excitement, "the Muggles can make their own creatures now with that jeans-neck-tiely science stuff which is just amazing! Mrs. Granger said she saw it on the… TY or something. Just amazing!" Ron and Harry exchanged looked and rolled their eyes. Grinning they headed upstairs to play chess in their room.  
Owing to the fact that Harry lost by so little during their game, and that they spent the entire supper arguing about just how likely it was that Ron cheated, they forgot to ask Mr. Weasley about the cultural diversity witnessed at Diagon Alley. They only remembered the incident two days later when it was time for them to leave. The King's Cross station was in chaos.   
The typical Muggle crowd was bustling through the station like normal, except around platform nine and ten. There was a large pack of what might have been foreign Muggles standing around all gibbering away in their own language. It might have been Muggles, but Harry knew instantly they were not. The two oriental children and their mother Harry had seen earlier were wearing black robes and tugging on their mother's sleeve. She was trying to talk to one of the workers at the station in broken English and pointing at a letter she held.   
"But it say right here!" she exclaimed. "Right here!"  
"I'm sorry, Miss!" the man who looked like an off duty conductor said, raising his hands and backing away. "We don't have that platform!"   
Irritated, she turned and looked around the station. Her gaze swept past Harry but quickly came back when she saw him looking at her. Turning his head, he tried to pretend he wasn't watching but it was too late. Gliding over, she tapped a long lacquered nail against his shoulder.  
"Boy," she said simply, "How I go here?" She handed him the letter and crossed her arms over her chest. The two children at her side had stopped bothering their mother and turned a solemn gaze to him. Glancing down, Harry instantly saw it was the typical First Year letter beginning students at Hogwarts got.   
"Oh, its easy," said Hermione, peering over Harry's shoulder to read the letter. Instantly several of the other lost wizard, witches, and new students turned towards Hermione. Not looking up from the letter she waved a hand towards the column. "Just walk right through there and you…" Glancing up she quickly trailed off as near thirty people began to move towards the hidden entrance way at once. "No no!" she said frantically, waving her arms and trying to stop them. "Not all at once!" Hearing this, they turned back towards her as well as several passing Muggles. Blushing she looked around.   
"You can't all go, you'll tip the Muggles off," Ron said. Like a pack of rabbit wolves, they turned their attention to Ron now. Unnerved by their collective gaze, some of them looking rather fierce, such as the Arabian boy and his mother, he looked to Harry for help.  
Sighing Harry wondered how all on Earth they were going to get this suspicious looking lot through the hidden entrance. Through the crowd of people, who had now turned their gaze to Harry, he saw Draco Malfoy slide up to the entrance way. Throwing Harry a smirk, he slipped through and was quickly followed by several other students who refused to make eye contact. Apparently no one else wanted to deal with the ferocious looking foreigners, leaving Harry up to the task of sorting them.   
It took some planning, but eventually Harry and Hermione figured out what to do. Between the six of them: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Mrs. Weasly, they each directed five of the strangers. Ginny went out to find any others who might have wandered off. The plan was to lead their group way from the entrance and then one by one come back and slide in.  
The Oriental woman and her two children stayed by his side and were joined by the Arabian boy and his mother. Since they were the last group to cross, he lead them farther down the train station. No one spoke although all five of them constantly scanned the crowd. The tall boy slid his hand up his sleeve, ready to grab a wand or a knife, Harry didn't want to know. His mother slapped him on the arm though when the son gave a passing security guard a particular hard stare and muttered something in their language. Looking sulky, he removed his hand but continued to glare. The two smaller children, First Years no doubt, only clutched their mother's sleeves and glanced about with wide fearful eyes.   
When he saw Ron's group finally all disappear, he quickly hurried down to the platform himself. They only had five minutes and Harry had no desire to miss the train once again. Luckily they all made it through without any problems, although the older boy did need some convincing and another arm slap from his mother before he went through. Upon seeing the train, the two mothers thanked him and perhaps might have asked more of him if he hadn't made a hasty escape.  
Boarding the train, he found it packed. Strange faces peered out from almost ever other cabin. He came across a nervous looking Dean while searching for Ron and Hermione. "What's going on," he hissed to Harry as a pair of giggling girls with handkerchiefs in their hair passed them. "Who are all these people?" Harry could only shrug and admit he was just as confused as Dean was. When Harry continued down the corridor, Dean accompanied him claiming not being able to find anyone he knew. As they passed a cabin with Draco Malfoy and the slender boy Hermione had pointed at in Diagon Alley, Dean quickly amended his original statement to anyone he liked.  
It was of course the last cabin they looked in that they found an exhausted Ron, an irritated Hermione, and a scared Neville. Everyone scooted over to make room for the two new arrivals and quickly shut the door behind them.  
"I can't believe the chaos out there! Hardly anyone knowing a word of English and not a helpful soul among the lot!" Hermione said, looking indignant. Apparently she had been stuck with a couple Americans who had refused to see the reason of walking away and then walking back to nine and three-quarters. "I mean, just because the Muggles where they live are stupid doesn't mean the ones over here will turn a blind eye to thirty or so people walking into walls and disappearing." Ron just groaned and covered his eyes. He had been stuck with Italian student who had misunderstood stood Ron's offer to help and had simply dumped all their baggage onto him and walked through the entrance.   
Dean shook his head and scowled while Neville sat in the corner shivering. "They're mean!" Neville declared suddenly. Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow. "One of them… he… he threatened to step on Trevor when I dropped him and then he knocked me over when I tried to pick him up." Dean just shook his head again and muttered about Slytherin gaining a new student. The train lurched to life just then after several toots on its whistle and everyone drifted off into their own thoughts.  
The train ride was uneventful, the only thing interesting happening when a rather hassled looking Cart Lady stopping by mid trip to see if they wanted anything. Neville wasn't paying attention and while gazing out the window grabbed Trevor instead of the Chocolate Frog he had just unwrapped and bit the poor creature. After a webbed foot in they eye, much spitting and gagging, and several apologies to a indignant frog, everything settled back down. Harry heard constant feet shuffling up and down the corridor but never once did anyone open the door to their cabin.   
When the train finally slowed down and stopped, they poured out of the compartment. It was a mass of confusion the second they stepped off the train. Harry couldn't tell how many were new, but it looked like the student population had increased noticeably from last year, and they all weren't First Years either. The tall Arabian boy he had helped on the train had spotted him, being a whole head taller then the rest of the crowd, and strode over to Harry's side. Not a word was said, but the boy simple stood by his side with his arms crossed over his massive chest and watched the crowd. Catching sight of the two oriental children, who looked scared and clung to each other's sleeves, Harry considered calling them over until he heard Hagrid's booming voice out for the First Years.  
"Fis' years! Fis' years over here!" The words seemed to calm the confusion a bit as a majority of the lost looking students hustled over to his side. They may have looked lost and confused, but the two children Harry was watching jumped when Hagrid called out and were the first at his side. Harry would have liked to go over and question Hagrid about what was going on, but the man looked busy enough as it was.  
Hermione was watching the new tall boy who stood next to Harry and seemed about to say something when the voice of Professor McGonagall rang out from behind them. "All students, even the new ones, please follow me!" The crowd shift and moved to follow her, Harry and his friends waiting till most of them had passed. It was slightly unnerving to see that the Arabian boy hung back with them as well, his arms crossed until they started walking at which point they remained stiffly at his side.  
The trip to the school was made in hushed silence broken by the occasional whisper. The last years students watching the new students and the new students watching everyone. Professor McGonagall wore an odd expression as the students filtered through the doorway and into the Great Hall. Those who had been here before immediately began to filter towards their table while the new students held back. Well, almost all the new students. The tall boy continued to march forward with Harry to the Gryffindor table until the Professor called him away.  
"All new students please come to the front of the room with me," she said in a loud and clear voice. The Arabian boy hesitated for a moment, making momentary eye contact with Harry as he looked around. Harry was actually relieved to see the worry in his eyes, it was comforting to know the tall stone-faced kid was really just a kid. A quick smile on his part though apparently put the tall boy at ease.  
Hermione and Ron had saved a seat for him, which he quickly slid into. Leaning over, Hermione plucked at his sleeve. "Harry," she hissed in his ear, "What's with that kid who was following you?" Ron leaned over, apparently interested as well.   
"I don't know," Harry said. He shook his head and watched the new students form a line behind the lone stool which kids were sorted at. Behind them was the teacher's table which none of the students could see, now that it was hidden by a line of black-robed bodies. Peering thoughtfully at the table he nudged Ron, "Wonder who got the Dark Arts spot this year." Ron shared his grin and was about to reply when the doors opened again and in filed the First Year students. These Professor McGonagall lined up in front of the older students. There was a little bit of confusion as a several misunderstood the instruction and tried to squeeze into the older students' line. Hurrying forward, the Professor straightened out everything and stepped back.  
A slight frown of disapproval seemed to cross her face before she turned and walked to the end of the teachers table. Coming back with the well known battered hat, she placed it on the stool. As she stepped back, Harry could see the several looks confusion or irritation pass through the new students. Before anyone could actually speak though, the hat took advantage of the silence. Opening up at the brim, it began to belt out a song:  
  
  
Listen to me for I'm the Sorting Hat,  
Though I know all that is in your head,  
I judge none be they saint or spoiled brat,  
I simply sort and that is that;  
On that skull of yours I do go,  
Take a peek, find where you belong,  
But why sort, you want to know,  
Simply listen and then you'll see;  
Fist are those known as Gryffindor,  
They are bright folk who are brave and true,  
If you have a need for a valiant deed,  
Then Gryffindor are the folk for you;  
Next are the sweet ones of Hufflepuff,  
They are the kindest people you ever knew,  
For if you are in need of aid,  
Hufflepuff will help and be nice about it too;  
Third are the geniuses of Ravenclaw,  
Diligent at studying and book wise,  
If you love to learn all there is to know,  
Then join Ravenclaw and see ignorance's demise;  
Last but not least we have Slytherin  
Power and Ambition is their creed,  
For one thing always stands true,  
Slytherins will help a Slytherin in need;  
So wear me and see  
Find out what house to be in-  
For I know where your heart wants to be  
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin  
  
There was a slight pause, the last note hanging in the air, before everyone in the Great Hall began clapping in appreciation. Even a majority of the foreign students put their hands together, grinning and seeming a bit more at ease. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, two scrolls in her hands. "Since Hogwart's win last year," she said, "and our eager acceptance for new students from abroad, we have gotten several new students, not all of them First Years. I hope everyone displays the utmost kindness and acceptance to all your new peers. Now, we will start with the first year students. When I call your name, come up to be sorted. Ackenson, Lindsey" A young girl with two blond pig-tails ran forward and was quickly placed in Hufflepuff. Everyone cheered and the sorting began. The first Gryffindor of the year was a Josh Franklin who's curly haired head was quickly rubbed affectionately by a multitude of overjoyed Gryffindors.  
Harry clapped and smiled with the rest of school as the students were quickly sorted into their respective houses. He watched closely as the first of the two little kids he helped find the train were called.  
"Tadamoto, Jaku" The small boy looked nervously at his sister, who's hand he had been holding, before approaching the hat carefully. The young boy picked it up carefully, as if fearing it would bite his fingers off and placed it on his head. It looked as if the thing swallowed his head, the brim of the hat brushing his shoulders. It stayed on his head for a good thirty seconds before finally shouting "RAVENCLAW!" Everyone cheered again, and a chuckle or two arose when the small kid bowed to his fellow house members before taking a seat.  
"Tadamoto, Kitsura" Professor McGonagall called, peering down her nose at the small little girl who approached. When placing the hat on her, it barely dropped down to her ears due to the large buns her braids had been twisted into on the top of her head. This apparently inhibited the hats ability to communicate with its wearer and there was a pause while the Professor undid the poor girls braids. Biting her lip, obviously fearing she had already screwed up, the little girl tried the hat on again, this time having it fall down to her chin. There was another equally long pause as the hat tried to sort the girl. Harry found himself holding his breath and leaning forward. The wait was so long that Harry briefly wondered if some people were just not sortable. Would they take the hat away and send her along? Luckily, his fears were put to rest as the hat shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" to the cheers of everyone but the Slytherins.  
Although she cast a longing glance to where her brother sat, the girls walked over to the Gryffindors' table. To Harry's surprise, Hermione waved the girl over to sit next to her. Blushing slightly, her two unbound braids flopping against her back, she slipped into the offered chair. When the final student had been placed, Professor McGonagall unrolled the second scroll. "Now, you who have attended other schools of magic previous years, please come forward to be sorted when I call your name. Amore, Hillery"  
Harry was rather surprised when a dark-skinned girl with flashing eyes by the name Zorha Hrana was added to the Gryffindor house. Zorha wasn't the only one added to Gryffindor from the new students. Madaline De'Quare also joined them, a second year student, and to everyone's surprise Kareem Jaafar, the boy who had been following Harry earlier, was added. It had only taken the hat a second to sort the fifth year student who instantly went to go sit across the table from Harry- Fred and George instantly scooting aside for the taller boy. Kareem only smiled and nodded to the students who greeted him and attention was soon turned back towards the hat.  
There was a slight hush as "O'Niell, Christopher- sixth year" was called. With his silky black hair pulled back into a pony tail, Harry recognized him as the boy who had threatened Neville's frog and was seen talking to Draco. He seemed to just radiate a dark and intimidating aura as he stepped up to put the hat on, so it was no surprise when the hat almost instantly called out "SLYTHERIN!". Harry clapped half-heartedly as the second new member of the Slytherin house went to join them. Draco gestured to a seat next to him that must have been saved ahead of time, knowing Christopher would join them. The first new member, Nadia Majid, sat a couple seats away whispering with Blaise.  
After that, there were just two more students. "Shoe, Samantha- fourth year" was added to Gryffindor, immediately going to sit down next to Ginny, and "Zulu, !Xabbu" who went to Hufflepuff. There was a bit of chuckling as Professor McGonagall struggled to pronounce the small black boy's name. Eventually he had to correct her, clicking his tongue to produce the first syllable of his name.   
When the chuckling had finally died down and the last of the Hufflepuff had shaken !Xabo's hand, Professor Dumbledore rose. Holding a cup in one hand, he spread his arms wide. "Welcome new and old! I believe Minerva said it best when she told you all to display the utmost kindness and acceptance to all of our new students this year. I would also like to announce our newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," there was a pauses and some snickering at this producing a scowl from most the teachers. Peering down through his half-moon glasses, Dumbledore waited until silence before continuing. "As I was saying, our newest staff member- Professor Rhatt."  
Instantly there was whispering among the tables as a tall slender woman stood up towards the end of the table. With long brown hair that was pulled back at the nap of her neck, and flashing hazel eyes, she was quite unlike any Defense teacher they had before. Of course, that wasn't the only reason they were talking. A large black tattoo fanned out below her left eye, like an upside down black flame, and a small silver stud could be seen glittering in her right nostril. She raised her own cup to the students, bowed once, and then seated herself.   
When it was clear that Dumbledore had more to say, standing before the students with a twinkle in his eye, a quiet was once again managed. "I would also like you all to welcome several other additions to the staff. Some of them you may remember… Mr. Wood, Miss Delacour, and Mr. Linenburg have all been hired on this year to help the teachers with the increased student population."  
Upon mention of their names, the three stood up before the students. Loud cheering broke out from the Gryffindor table at the sight of Oliver Wood, their old Quidditch Keeper and captain. There was even some cheering from the male students at the return of Fluer who had entrapped several hearts last year when she stayed for the tournament. Mr. Linenburg they had never seen before, but he looked as if he could have been a close relative to a one Viktor Krum with his thick unibrow and hunched form.   
With the introductions done, Professor Dumbledore once again rain through the basic rules and wished them all good luck for the year. He concluded with the words "Bilshifa! Hazrat! Qumiz! !Hashe!", the last one producing several good-natured laughs from the Hufflepuff table for use of !Xabo's clucking sound. The dishes before them were suddenly filled with food, startling several of the newer students, and the feasting commenced.   
  
Most years, the Great Hall was filled with talk of the summer's activities and plans for this year's mischief. True, students still related what hex they tried to cast on their next door neighbor's cat but it seemed as if most the talk centered on the foreign students.  
Lavender and Parvati were talking in earnest to Zorha who was showing them the large collection of rings she carried with her. There were a squeals of pleasure from their direction when she let them try on a particularly shinny emerald one. The De'Quare girl was also chatting away happily with several of the students around her, informing them how lovely her old school had looked and how much better the food was.  
On his left, Harry found Hermione talking happily to the overly shy Kitsura. Questioning her about the food, geography, and wizard schools there, the little girl could only nod or shake her head with a bright blush on her cheeks. Ginny seemed to be just as caught up with the girl next to her. She and Samantha where whispering furiously, occasionally pausing to glance around them. It didn't look as anyone else was too welcome in their conversation at the moment. That left only Kareem.  
Harry and Ron exchanged glances. The tall sixth year boy had not said a word since he sat down and had begun to eat with a single mindedness the moment the food appeared. Clearing his throat, Harry decided to take the initiative. "So… Kareem… what's the school of magic like where you come from?" The tall boy stopped his eating and slowly lowered his fork to the table before looking up at Harry.  
"We have no schools," Kareem said in surprisingly well pronounced English. "We are usually taught by our Mothers."   
"Really?" Hermione asked, turning from Kitsura to face another new well of information. "But what if your parents are Muggle? And what about centralizing the knowledge? How would someone be able to learn everything?" These questions must have troubled Hermione for she chewed her lip at frowned in a thoughtful manner at Kareem.  
"I do not know," he said after a moment, having paused to either put deep thought into the questions or struggling through Hermione's rapid speech. "My Mother does not do magic, but she taught me." He seemed to say this to Ron and Harry, not even looking at Hermione. "My father taught her what to teach me." Shrugging, he picked up his fork and began to eat again. Hermione obviously did not think the matter over.  
"But… that doesn't make sense. She if she can't do magic, how can she teach it? And why didn't your father just teach you himself?"   
Kareem seemed irritated as he put his fork down again. "That is simply how it is done," he said, "and my Mother taught me how to say the spells. The only difference between us was that when I spoke them, something happened. My Mother probably knows more then the Professors here." There was a hint of pride in his voice at the last statement. Harry remembered the stern looking woman he had met at the train station. Considering how she had handled herself with the barrier, not even hesitating when she walked through, he would never have guessed her a Muggle. Seeing Kareem go back to his eating, Harry decided to look elsewhere for conversation.  
Lee Jordan was in a particularly well told story about how he escaped a pack of insane Muggles on his broomstick over the summer that were jumping around trying to catch and eat him. Harry joined with the others as they jokingly booed him and informed him he was full of crap.   
"No, really! They were screaming and said they wanted to eat my flesh! It was really horrifying!" A rather amused Lee said. He didn't let the fact that no one believed his story get him down.  
"And these Muggles were just, you know, roaming the streets?" Fred asked in a sarcastic tone.   
"Ah, well I wasn't really out on the streets you know," Lee said, grinning. Leaning over, he whispered something to Fred and George who suddenly broke out laughing. Fred pounded on Lee's shoulder and George elbowed him.  
"So did you see anything?" he asked and broke up laughing when Lee only winked in reply.   
Soon everyone had eaten their full and the plates magically cleaned themselves. Leaning back in his chair, Kareem belched loudly and earned a disgusted look from Ron. Before the red-haired boy could say anything Hermione leaned over in front of Harry to slap him on the arm. "Different cultures, silly" she hissed before apologizing to Harry and sitting back up.   
Stifling yawns, they quickly went back to their respective common rooms and then to bed. Harry was extremely pleased to see Hedwin waiting for him when he got back. She had no letter and nibbled affectionately on his fingers before slipping away to the owlery. Though tired, it took Harry several minutes to be lulled to sleep. Maybe it was Neville's earth-shattering snores that kept him awake or perhaps it was the sweet smell of Hermione's hair that stayed with him from when she leaned across him during dinner that prevented him from immediately falling into the loving embrace of sleep.  
  
********  
  
The next day found Harry, Hermione, and Ron running around like mad as they frantically tried to find The Chamber. That's all that was written on their schedule and they hadn't until today realized how hard it would be to find. Sure, they found 'A Chamber' and 'That Chamber' but never The Chamber.  
Ron was still chewing on a piece of toast when they leaned against the wall of yet another dead end. Hermione was wheezing slightly, her large stack of books making all this running a trifle harder. Try as he might, Harry couldn't find any paintings that knew the way.   
"Perhaps it's the first assignment of the class," Hermione said between gasps for air. "Summoning The Chamber." Ron just scowled and Harry shook his head.  
"I don't read all the books ahead of time," Harry said, "but I did glance through our Simple Summons and that stuff did not look easy. I wouldn't want to try any of them without knowing what I was doing. Did you see that picture of the demon on page 82??"  
Ron gave him a look of horror and took the toast out of his mouth. "You read a school book over the summer? Harry! How could you!" he said in mock horror, earning himself a slap on the shoulder by Hermione. Eventually Harry lead them back out of the dead end and they began their search again.  
Hermione was starting to get panicked as she continued to glance at her watch. "Harry!" she said, trying to show him the time. "We've only got three minutes!" Pushing her wrist away from his nose, Harry quickly tried to hush her. Foot-steps could be heard approaching and an awfully familiar voice echoed through the corridor.  
"I told you, Nadia, I know where I'm going!" Draco Malfoy snapped.  
"But haven't-" a female voice said with an accent that reminded them of Kareem.  
"I spoke to Professor Snape. He told me how to get to this chamber. Now would you please trust me?" Harry and Ron exchanged smirks at the pleading note in Malfoy's voice. The three friends quickly pulled themselves back as the familiar face of Draco rounded the corner accompanied by a girl. Ron had to stifle a yelp when Hermione pinched his arm a couple seconds later.  
"Don't let your jaw hang open that long, it makes you look like Goyal," she hissed his ear and sent Harry a warning glance as well. Both boys quickly tried to compose themselves, never talking their eyes off the girl. She and Malfoy quickly turned another corner and disappeared from sight. Ron and Harry leapt in pursuit before being dragged back by Hermione. "We're here to find The Chamber, you guys. Not to see how low of IQ a girl can reduce you too."   
Ron quickly pulled his sleeve from Hermione's grasp and hurried down the corridor again, dragging her with him this time. "Didn't you hear Malfoy though?" Ron hissed back. "He said he knew where he was going! We're following him to find the class, not to watch his new girlfriend's butt. No need to get jealous, Herm." Ron winked at Hermione who blushed a bright red before punching Ron in the arm again.   
Despite what Ron said, it could still be questioned if they really had that much faith in Malfoy's directions. Both boys insisted on following close enough so that they wouldn't 'lose sight of her and Malfoy and get lost again', leaving Hermione to grumble and glare. Considering Malfoy's companion, she did it for good reason too. She was a beautiful girl but not in the same way as last year's beauty, Fluer. This Nadia was tall and slim with a dusky complexion and thick black hair. She seemed to sway as she walked, providing quite a sight for the following Harry and Ron. The fact that her robes seemed to be made out of silk which clung to her every curve did not help.  
So intent were the boys on watching Miss Majid's swaying hips, they failed to notice Malfoy had directed everyone to a dead end. Harry and Ron froze, knowing full well that the second Malfoy glanced over his shoulder, they'd be caught. Lucky for them, this was all part of Malfoy's plan. Taking out his wand, he bowed deeply to a seemingly unimpressed Nadia. "Well?" she snapped, gesturing to the wall in front of them. "I see no door! We're lost!"  
"Wait," was all he said and flicked his wand in a complex pattern before tapping a rather large center stone. There was a rumble and the door slowly pulled to the left on what sounded like rusty rollers. As it opened, near fifteen heads turned to the people in the hallway and Professor Curry turned with a look of irritation.  
"Its nice to know you five could finally join us!" Curry snapped, and gestured with his wand. At the word, 'five', Malfoy seemed to jerk in surprise and spun around. At the sight of Harry, Ron, and a Hermione waiting hesitantly farther back, he scowled. Luckily they were saved from any of Malfoy's world class biting wit by an irritated Professor.   
Nadia swept into the classroom, taking a empty stool next to a fifth year Ravenclaw and Malfoy hurried in behind her. There were only two two-person desks left and the three friends hesitated. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione in worry. One of them would have to sit with Draco. Ron's fist clenched and Hermione's cheeks flushed with faint anger. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Draco sitting in the chair directly behind Nadia.   
If Ron sat next to the Slytherin there would most certainly be a fist fight and Harry didn't like to think of some of the things Draco might say to Hermione if the teacher wasn't watching. It was the idea of an upset Hermione that eventually drove Harry to be the better man and slip into the seat next to Draco. Hermione and Ron shuffled to the other empty desk, all the way across the room.  
Professor Curry surveyed the room and scowled at Draco and Harry. "If you five had bothered to ask about how to get to my classroom, you would have realized a shortcut has been installed in recent years just outside the Great Hall under the painting of the daffodils. I'll expect you to be on time to class from now on." Setting down his wand, Professor sat down behind the desk. "As I was telling the class before I was so rudely interrupted, this is Summoning. We of course wont jump right to demons or any kind of complicated elemental creatures, but by the end of the class I'll expect you to summon your own familiars. Your final grade will depend on you being able to summon a level three spirit to guide you through an obstacle course. Banishing will also be covered this year since, for some odd reason, most creatures summoned are not too friendly. Considering how dangerous this type of magic often is, you will need a partner to back you up in case whatever creature you summon kills you and breaks loose. Who you are sitting with will be your partner for the rest of the year."   
This immediately set the students talking. Complaints about not wanting to die rose as well as requests to change partners. None were louder on this request then Draco and Harry who immediately leapt to their feet.  
"You can't expect me to work with-"  
"He'll intentionally kill me with so-"  
"Potter's not smart enough to summon something! I don't want to die because he scr-"  
"Malfoy will make deals with all the demons we summon! He'll sell my soul fo-"  
"-and he's a Gryffindor!"  
"-and he's a Slytherin!"  
Professor Curry slammed his hand down on the desk causing all the items on it as well as all the students in the room to jump. "Just so everyone is clear… If anyone's partner is attacked, kills, or sold to any of the creatures we summon, you automatically fail the class. So I think its in everyone's best interest to watch out for each other. With that said, lets get started." The rest of the class then spent copying notes on the different types of creatures to summon and what they were good for.   
After class Hermione and Ron rushed to Harry's side, overflowing with apologies.   
"I'm so sorry, Harry!" Hermione said placing a hand on his arm and wearing a worried look. "He didn't say anything to you in class, did he?"  
"I'd watch my back if I were you," Ron advised, coming up on Harry's other side. "I bet you anything he'd risk his grade to summon up a monster and kill you." Harry just shook his head and frowned.  
"Its okay you guys. I'll survive. I just can't believe I dropped Divination for this."  
  
  
The rest of the week went by like usual, Summoning in place of Divination being the only change he made this term. Charms was rather fun to sit through. Fluer's presence was more of a distraction then an aid, Professor Flitwick having to pause often and draw the class's attention back to himself and away from a preening Fleur. Rumor had it that she had spent an entire class flirting with the new Slytherin Christopher and had earned a strong lecture from Dumbledore about teacher student relationships. After that, she was better at helping the students, surprising many with how good she was at the subject.   
Gryffindor still had potions with Slytherin but this year wasn't as bad. It was interesting to watch as Professor Snape's attempts to humiliate Harry in front of the class were constantly being interrupted by his new aid, Vlad Linenburg. Clumsy as he looked and twice as stupid, he dropped and broke two vials containing essence of bog water in the second class forcing everyone out of the dungeon room till the smell could be counteracted.  
Transfiguration was more fun then usual with Oliver Wood being Professer McGonagall's new aid. As she walked around the class instructing students on how to turn a piece of string into a chain of daises, Wood slipped over to Harry's side to talk about Quidditch. This year's captain was either Ged or perhaps Forge, no one being quite able figure out what single name to address their co-captains as. Wood had obviously handed down command to one of the twins but no one was really sure which one. Either way, they had announced practice to start next week and already Wood had a thousand and one good ideas for Harry to try this year.  
Tuesdays and Thursdays were now the only time Harry had History while Herbology took up the other three. Both Professor Sprout and Professor Binns had convinced Dumbledore that they didn't need aids, so there was nothing new there. Sprout had started them right off with Forget Mes, flowers who's scent cause memory loss and required the students to wear enchanted scarves around their mouth and nose. This caused quite a stir with Lavender, Parvati, and Zorha as the Arabian girl who was already familiar with tying scarves showed them how to pin up elaborate head dresses and veils.  
It was on Friday afternoon after Herbology class that Harry got his first chance to talk to Cho this year. She was coming up from the dungeons from a double potions with Gryffindor and chatting with her friends happily. When Harry finally managed to catch her attention with a wave and a smile, she excused herself and came over.   
Ron and Hermione, who were standing off to the side, both looked up at the approach of the older student. Ron just grinned at Harry while Hermione gave him a odd look. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed she looked sad or perhaps disappointed. But it only lasted for a second before she quickly elbowed the now snickering Ron in the ribs and dragged him off. Left on his own, Harry fought down a blush and turned to Cho. "Hi..," he managed when she stopped in front of him.  
"Hi…," she replied back in an equally awkward tone. "How was your summer?" she asked helpfully.  
"Good, very good," Harry said, feeling a blush deepening, "Um, how was yours?"  
Someone called to Cho and she paused to wave at them before turning back to Harry. "It was good. Was there something you wanted to tell me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly and making his heart flutter.  
"Ummm… Umm…," Harry tried to remember exactly why he had drawn her away from her friends. The idea of perhaps asking her to talk a walk with him around the lake after dinner tonight seemed suddenly foolish. Luckily he was saved when Kareem stepped up next to Cho. Though Harry was momentarily surprised to see the sixth year student, he smiled and said hello.  
"Harry," Kareem said simply before turning back to Cho. "Where did you say the painting was?" the tall, dark, and hansom student asked of now blushing Cho. Harry suddenly felt a sharp dislike for the older boy and tried to refrain from saying something stupid when Cho placed a hand on his arm.  
"Here, I've got Transfiguration and it right near there," she said in an oh-so-helpful manner. "I'll walk you…" she turned and almost walked off right then and there, before she remembered Harry and paused. "Oh… um… what was it you wanted to ask me, Harry?"  
"Nothing," the younger boy forced out, feeling hurt inside. "I just wanted to say hi…" Though Cho seemed to accept this with a smile and a nod, Kareem gave him a funny look before letting himself be escorted away by the girl.   
Harry stood there, watching the two walk off, for a good minute or three before remembered where he was supposed to be going. Dashing down the halls at top speed, his robe billowing around him, Harry made it into Defense Against Dark Arts with one minute to spare. Luckily Ron had managed to save him a seat in-between him and Hermione, right in the front row of desks.  
As soon as he sat down, Professor lowered the large book she had been reading and, Harry suspected, hiding behind. Today her hair was down, falling in long curls and almost obscuring the earring she wore. It was a black pearl in her earlobe that connected to a long silver chain which looped up to a clip at the top of her ear. Up close, Harry saw that her black tattoo was much more complex then he had originally suspected and appeared to have some type of writing around its boarders. Clearing her throat she moved to the front of the class.  
"Due to you're schools… 'colorful' history of Dark Arts teachers, I found it quite hard to figure out what you have and have not learned. I believe you have covered a majority of the common monsters, correct?" The class nodded in rememberance of Professor Lupin. "And you have learned to defend yourself against those popular dark spells, correct?" There was a little bit of whispering and everyone nodded again. Smiling, Professor Rhatt clasped her hands together and looked around. "Well then, this year I shall teach you how to defend against dark magical artifacts and how to make your own. Artifacts that is… and non-dark ones at that." The class seemed to accept this, for the most part although Hermione's hand instantly shot into the air.  
Professor Rhatt paused for a moment after seating herself. "Umm… yes.. Miss?"  
"Hermione Granger. Isn't Magical Enhancement of Objects supposed to be only taught to us in our sixth and seventh year?" she asked, as if fearful of breaking any school rules.  
Rhatt didn't seem to like this news, pursing her lips slightly and tapping a nail on the desk. "I'm happy to hear that you are so concerned for my ability to teach this class, Miss Granger, but I assure you we will not be stepping on the toes of Enhanced Objects here. If you had read the books, you would have realized an Artifact is a specific kind of item where as Enhanced Objects are just your run of the mill toys." Hermione looked ready to argue the point more but Professor Rhatt quickly unrolled the class scroll and began calling out names.  
There was a little confusing when she reached Neville Longbottom who apparently never showed up for class. When Dean remembered that he saw Neville's improperly tied scarf slipping in Herbology, the possibility of the boy inhaling some of the fumes was brought up and Lavender was sent to go look for him. There was also a pause when she reached Harry's name. She looked hard at Harry and he gulped nervously, fearful they might have another Snape on their hands. "You're Lily's kid, aren't you?" she asked in a stern voice. Harry nodded hesitantly and she broke into a smile. "Your mom and I were pretty good friends," she said getting a far away look in her eye for a moment. "Talk to me some time after class if you want to know more about her," she added before continuing with the roll call.  
The possibility of learning more about his mother thrilled Harry and he sat through the rest of the class with a smile, his broken heart over Cho momentarily forgotten. Professor Rhatt spent the time explaining the oddities of her appearance. The tattoo apparently was picked up from some African tribe and protected her from a number of hexes while the nose ring proved to be a type of Tuner, an item to amplify a wizards powers for certain kinds of spells. They were then assigned the first chapter of their book and a single scroll on different means of protection through magically enchanted tattoos. Ron seemed to get really into it and continued to flip through the pages even after they left the class.   
"OoooOOoooO!" he said in an excited manner, pointing to an illustration on page 28. "Look at this one! Says it was designed by the cannibals of the south pacific islands and helps resist temperature changes of surrounding liquids!" Hermione craned her neck to see the picture and scowled.  
"And it also is a sure protection against any possible female attention," she snapped.  
"What? Where does it say that?!" Ron asked, scanning the page. Harry leaned over and laughed when he caught sight of the picture. The poor man in the illustration was covered with tattoos the shape of overlapping boxes on his chest. Several black dots marked his nose and his entire lower lip and chin were tattooed black. All in all, it produced a rather unattractive effect.   
Harry would have stayed behind to talk to the Professor, but she was busy giving Neville and Lavender the notes they had missed at the beginning of class. As it turned out, everyone's suspicion had proven to be correct, Lavender having found Neville sitting absentmindedly in a flower patch outside one of the green houses and bringing him back halfway through class. Hermione said she felt particularly bad for the boy who had prided himself in his Herbology skills, that being the only thing he was known for being good at.   
Word of the whole fiasco had spread and that dinner almost every Slytherin was kind enough to stop by the Gryffindor's table and drop a flower before Neville. By the time a Draco and his goonies dropped their flowers in Neville's soup and walked off, laughing loudly, the boy was blushing furiously and looking ready to sink under the table.  
"Oh don't mind them," a fourth year said to Neville with a smile and slid into the seat across from Harry. Ginny sad down next to her and offered Harry a tentative smile before going about filling her plate. "Oh, that looks good, Ginny. Pass it here when your done," she said before turning back to Neville. "Hi, my name's Samantha and I know how you feel." Neville only continued to blush and looked unconvinced.  
Placing a hand to her heart, Samantha rose her voice in obvious imitation some unknown previous tormenter. "Oh what is WITH your hair cut, Shoe? What kind of name is Sam? Are you really a boy, Shoe? What was your father's name, Shoe? Jim?" Rolling her eyes, the girl waved a fork in the air. "There's a pack of them in every school, I swear." Flashing Neville a grin, she accepted the dish Ginny handed her and forked several slices of beef onto her plate before passing it along.  
Neville seemed comforted by this, straightening up a bit, and began to pick the flowers out of his dinner. Harry stared at the young girl, frowning thoughtfully. She looked familiar but Harry couldn't quite place where. "Have we met?" he eventually asked causing her and Ginny to exchange looks.  
"I'm pretty sure we haven't," she said before glancing up at the scar on his forehead and blushing slightly. "I should think I'da remember having met Harry Potter." Ginny giggled and shook her head.  
"Sam is from America," she said earning a poke in the ribs from her friend.  
"Ginny, you promised you wouldn't tell!" Both of them broke down into giggles for some odd reason. Ron and Harry shared a look before giving a hopeless shrug in honor of the unexplainable female nature.  
"Its nice to see your sister made a new friend," Harry whispered to Ron, watching the two sample food of each other's place, "But is it just me, or are they acting strange?" Ron just shook his head in wonderment and shrugged.  
"They're girls, how would I know?" he asked.   
Hermione snorted with laughter. "You say it like its some big mystery or something."  
"But it is!" Ron exclaimed, gesturing helplessly. "You giggle and blush and glare at all the oddest times. There! Like right there! Why are you looking at me like that?" Pointing at a now scowling Hermione, Ron waved a hand in the air. "Why do you frown, woman!?"  
There was laughter farther down the table and Harry leaned over to see Lavender, Parvati, and Zorha grinning at Ron.   
"Honestly, Ron!" Parvati exclaimed rolling her eyes. "You are a dunderhead when it comes to girls!"  
"Yeah," Lavender said, backing her friend up. "You're probably the densest guy at this school, except perhaps for Neville here." She flashed him an apologetic smile and his blush returned.  
"Rule number one, Ron. If you have to ask, you'll never know." Zorha smirked from behind steepled fingers, her rings glinting in the candlelight. All three girls laughed again and turned back to whatever they had been discussing before.  
Poor Ron looked even more confused now as he found every girl at the Gryffindor table grinning at him. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie in particular seemed to be laughing rather hard at his misfortune. Grumbling, Ron pointed at Kitsura Tadamoto, the young first year and only girl at the table who didn't seem to be getting a joke at his expense. "Don't you grow up to be like them," he said sternly, gesturing to the three Chasers who were now howling in laughter. The little girl only blushed and nodded.   
  
******  
  
"What did I just say?" Professor Snape said, slamming his hand down in front of Seamus and Dean, causing all the Gryffindors to wince in sympathy and the Slytherin's to chuckle. The two exchanged a desperate look. Both had just been talking and obviously had no idea what the class had been working on. Ron groaned softly and lowered his head while Harry braced himself to hear just how many points Gryffindor would lose for this.   
"Ummm… we were… um… you said… the magical properties of rabbits' fur?" Seamus offered up quickly. Harry could see his crossed fingers even from across the room.  
"Nooo," Professor Snape said, drawing the word out in a sneer. "We did happen to cover those fifteen minutes ago though. Five points from Gryffindor talking and not listening in class." Turning, he swept to the front of the classroom, leaving behind a soundly depressed Seamus to lower his head to the desk in shame. Turning to face the class, he put a hand on each side his demonstration cauldron and leaned over it. "I was talking about the nature of animal components when combined with minerals in comparison to combining them with plants. Despite my lack of faith in several of you," Snape fixed an embarrassed Neville with a glare, "this year you shall begin theoretical potion composition. I have drilled into you for four years the basic potion of life. Now it is time for you to learn how to compose and brew concoctions of your own design."  
This was not happy new to some people for soft groans could be heard from Gryffindors and Slytherins alike. Harry had a sudden vision of Neville Longbottom blowing the entire class up while trying to create his own potion, causing him to doubt if this was all such a good idea. Hermione on the other hand seemed to lean forward with interest at the news, her quill poised and ready to take notes on anything that might show up on a test later. Though she was a wonderful student, she usually toned down the eager student attitude in Potions.   
"Silence!" Professor Snape hissed, bring the class back down to a quiet again. "I want you to open up to the back of your books and copy down the table of common reactions to be handed in next Monday along with a list of possible ingredients for a Levitation potion."  
Lucky for Harry and Ron, Hermione already knew the ingredients for a Levitation potion, never mind the fact they hadn't learned it in class yet. "Thought it might come in handy," as all she would mutter when they questioned her about it.   
After potions they headed out to Hagrid's for Care of Magical Creatures. On the way there, Ron and Hermione began arguing, something that was becoming more and more common between the two.  
"I'm just saying that it sounds interesting," said Hermione with the sound of irritation in her voice.  
"But its not right! I mean, you can't have fun in Potions! It goes against all our Snape hating rules! You'd be breaking an unspoken rule and you know how you hate to break rules!" Ron said in an almost pleading manner.   
"Just because Snape teaches it doesn't mean the entire field of study is tainted," Harry said in a mild voice. Hermione stuck her tongue out at Ron who just threw his hands up in the air. Harry thought back to what Dumbledore had said to Snape last year and wondered once again what it was he had gone off to do.   
Obviously it was not to go get a heart, for Snape was a vicious as he was last year, if not more so. Harry assumed it was to infiltrate the ranks of Voldermort again, but something tugged on Harry's memory. He didn't know why, but for some reason he knew that wasn't right. Something said or done perhaps, but he couldn't remember what. Ever since that night when Voldermort had risen, nightmares would pop up nearly every other night. It had become so bad, Harry had simply tried to put the entire event out of his mind. There had been no movement of Voldermort since then and already the shadow of a doubt began to tickle the back of his mind. The Ministry venomously denied any rumor that You-Know-Who had returned and if it had not been for the empty chair that the Hufflepuff table continued to keep empty in remembrance to Cleric Diggory, Harry might have believed it all to just be a dream.  
"Well if you weren't so thick headed," Hermione was saying to Ron, "then you'd realize the advantages of creating your own particular potion."  
"Why not just use a pre-made one?" Ron shot back, still refusing to see anything positive coming out of the Potions class.   
"Because they are so limiting and they- Ugh! Why do I even bother?" Giving up on trying to change Ron, Hermione let the argument drop as they approached Hagrid's house. Already half the Gryffindor class was milling around with no Hagrid in sight.   
A sour looking Draco lounged against the fence of an empty pen, Crabbe and Goyle standing a couple feet away. The way the two of them just stood there with absolute blank looks on their faces created a kind of aura around them that seemed to suck the intelligence out of the air and radiate idiocy. Catching sight of Harry, Draco scowled and pushed away from the fence. His two lackeys followed him as he fairly strutted over to Neville Longbottom's side.  
Flashing Harry a sinister grin, he leaned down and said something to Neville. Harry was too far away to hear what was said, but he didn't need to see the growing horror on Neville's face that it was nothing good. Malfoy continued to whisper in Neville's ear as Harry neared but stepped away the moment Harry stood before them. Poor Neville was shaking from head to toe and was white as a sheet.   
"Why hello, Harry," Draco said with a lazy drawl. "Did you have a nice summer?" Ignoring the question, Harry reached out and grabbed Neville by the wrist, pulling him away from Draco's side.  
"Leave Neville alone, Malfoy," Harry warned, glancing at the still shaken boy. He wished he knew what Draco said, but at that minute Hagrid came hurrying out of his house, a box full of furry somethings squealing in his arms.   
Hagrid set the class to sorting out and counting the little creatures that seemed to resemble furry caterpillars the size of your hand and with a lung capacity to produce a seemingly never ending shrill scream. These little creature's weren't the classes' new project but in fact food to be used in caring for their future beast. Hagrid refused to reveal anything about the upcoming beast but promising everyone that it was a fascinating creature and rather nice. The three friends shared a look of horror along with the rest of the students. It was well known what "fascinating and rather nice" translated into in Hagrid-speak.   
When Harry tried to ask Neville what Draco had said to him, the boy just shrugged it off. A muttered "nothing" was all he could get from him. Harry silently cursed the Slytherin while Ron 'accidentally' dropped one of the caterpillar things down Draco's robes. The class got a good laugh when he leapt up and began jumping about but feel quiet when Hagrid frantically tried to save his little caterpillar creature from the beating hands of Malfoy.   
Though Harry would have liked to hang back and talk to Hagrid, not having had a chance yet to talk to him this year, a batch of sixth years showed up early. Hagrid invited Harry, Hermione, and Ron to come out and visit him tomorrow and they promised to attend. He said he had done some very important top secret work for Dumbledore over the summer and was eager to share it with them. They bid him a reluctant goodbye, and hurried back up to the castle.  
On the way back, Hermione paused to watch one of the sixth year Slytherins go by. She frowned and might have stood there for a lot longer frowning if Ron hadn't tugged on her sleeve and reminded her about the rest of their classes. Harry glanced back to look at the long dark-haired boy who had caught Hermione's eye and at Hermione herself. Raising an eyebrow, Harry grinned. "Got a crush, Herm?" he asked in a teasing manner. Ron looked startled but Hermione just rolled her eyes.  
"No, I do not. And don't call me Herm." Turning, she stared for the castle again, a thoughtful expression on her face the entire way back.   



	4. The calm before and the beginning of the...

// "No, I do not. And don't call me Herm." Turning, she stared for the castle again, a thoughtful expression on her face the entire way back. //  
  
Any question on whether or not Hermione liked the older Slytherin Christopher O'Niell was quickly put to rest as he began to replace Draco Malfoy as the most avid Muggle hater and big headed snob on the school grounds. Unlike Malfoy, he rarely did anything that could get him in trouble, even when the teacher wasn't watching. It was simply general looks, sneers, and an exaggerated avoidance of Mud-Blood tainted objects. At one point between classes, Hermione slipped going up the stairs, courtesy of Cabby's dropped book, and grabbed the railing. Christopher, who had been following behind her and holding the railing, made a point to no touch the segment that Hermione grabbed. Draco, as well as any other nearby Slytherins, snickered. That had been three days ago. Now most students not of a pure blood avoided Christopher as a general rule of thumb.  
Harry was now sitting in Summoning, suffering through another episode of the "Draco tries to flirt with Nadia" brand of torture. Despite how intelligent he tried to sound, how cool he tried to act, or how wittingly he insulted Harry, the poor boy just couldn't seem to attract the Arabian beauty's attention. Her heart, along with all Slytherin females', belonged to Christopher O'Niell and his finely chiseled features.  
Everyone was copying down the pentagram for summoning and containing a level two creature as Professor Curry prowled between the desks. He had just passed Harry and Draco when the Slytherin made his move. Dipping his quill in the shared pot of ink, Draco flicked the feather and sent a rain fall of black ink onto Harry's pentagram. Nadia, who had witnessed this, chose to roll her eyes rather then be impressed. "Silly boy," she hissed, "He will catch you. Why can't you be more subtle like Christopher?"  
Draco was indeed caught for when Professor Curry made the next circuit, he noticed the spots. After scolding Harry for his poor work he turned to Draco and gave him a good telling for not watching his partner's work. "It is better to fix the mistake before it happens so you don't wind up fixing it after the event. And in Summoning, you do /not/ want to be fixing already made mistakes." When he moved on to the next desk both Gryffindor and Slytherin were down three points.  
Angry at the unfairness of it all, Harry kicked Draco under the desk and got a sneer in return. When class ended, Draco managed to pick up an elbow to the ribs and a crushed toe as well from his own house mates for the lost points. Harry moved over to Ron and Hermione's desk, across the room. The pair was Professor Curry's favorite for Hermione never messed up and she always managed to correct Ron's mistakes in time. No surprise there.  
"Will you look at that," Hermione murmured when Harry reached them.  
"What?" Ron asked, his eyes fixed on the quill she brushed back and forth across her throat absentmindedly.  
"Draco Malfoy, alone and rejected."  
Harry twisted to look catch a glimpse of the boy walking out of the class unaccompanied. "Yes," he said in a cheerful tone. "It does make me feel rather tingly in side. I think it's from the laughter I'm trying to hold back." Harry and Ron shared a grin and Hermione chuckled politely.  
"Why yesterday I saw Cabby and Goyal flanking that new boy Christopher," Hermione shook her head and frowned, "he was picking on a first year Ravenclaw I think. Oh how I hate that guy."  
Ron managed a shrug as he piled his books and parchments into the crook of his arm. "He's Slytherin, what do you expect?"  
  
****  
  
The weeks began to flow by and the weather began to chill. The new students were blending in nicely and everything seemed to be normal. The kind of normal without even impending doom of some sort or another in fact. Harry, Hermione, and Ron went to visit Hagrid whenever they could for amazingly enough he had managed to produce a fun and interesting creature this year. Looking like a large cross between a rabbit and a snake, with mini-useless wings tacked on its back, the Rakes were rather enjoyable. Other then their tendency to get rather vicious when they dinned on the shrill caterpillars and their bad habit of nipping fingers, they were almost pet-quality material.  
Hermione's large tan colored one was actually sitting in her lap as the three friends lounged around Hagrid's table. The man himself was pacing the room, fiddling with one of his giant tea cups as he went. "Well, I don't know…" Hagrid rumbled for the third time.  
"You like her, don't you?" Hermione asked in a patient voice.  
"Oh yes, I like her a lot! But…" Hagrid scratched his beard and examined the hut ceiling.   
"I don't see what the problem is," Ron grumbled, dunking a rock hard cake repeatedly in his tea with no intention of ever eating the thing.  
"Yeah," Harry added, "If you like her then you just have to go for it. And it's not like you'd be leaving for no reason. You're going on official Hogwarts business for Professor Dumbledor." Hagrid perked up a bit at the last part, standing straighter and placing his cup on the table.  
"If you like her then you just have to go for it," Ron mimicked with a grin. "Is that the tactic you used with Cho, Harry?" Harry scowled and tossed a rock cookie at Ron, nailing him on the head and hopefully doing a lot of damage. Things had not been going well for Harry in the area of Cho lately. Though she was very sweet to him in a little brother kind of way, it was becoming more and more well known that she and the new Gryffindor, Kareem, were somewhat of an item. Harry had even resorted to the old tactic of flower giving only to find that Kareem outclassed him that very day with a beautiful beaded necklace. Now Harry just avoided the two and nursed his broken heart alone in a dark corner.   
Hermione scowled at Ron as she reached over to pat Harry on the hand in a comforting kind of way. "Really, Hagrid," she said, "you could do a lot of good by going with Olympe to meet these giants. And what we need now is goodness."  
Taking a seat next to her, Hagrid toyed with his empty cup. "Yes, but it is all the way on the other side of the world! How does that help us here? And I would be away for so long…" Hermione could only sigh loudly and move to pat his hand this time.  
Harry studied his large friend and tried to understand his reluctance. Both Hagrid and Olympe had be invited to a clan meeting of the giants in the orient. They had already convinced many giants to the north to become peaceful and help the wizards. The fact that Hagrid was also clearly smitten with Olympe should only make the two month long tip even more tempting.   
"But.. but.." Hagrid looked around, "Who would take care of Fang?" he asked, petting the boar hound's head after it had moved to rest a chin on his knee. Unfortunately, like all poor excuses, this was solve right away.   
Before anyone could offer to tend the creature, there came a brisk knocking on the door. Hagrid and the students exchanged a glance. Moving carefully, Hagrid opened the door a foot or two to check before throwing it wide open. "Ah, Professor Sprout! How can I help you?"  
The Professor strode into the room and glanced at Ron, Harry, and Hermione with a slight frown. "I've got a new batch of plants today, Hagrid, and some of them need special space and housing. I was wondering if you could help me set up a green house somewhere in-between the forest and Greenhouse 4? They are very delicate and need to be soundly protected, but unfortunately they are too dangerous to have where the children can get into. " Hagrid opened his mouth to reply, but it was Hermione who got a response in first.  
"Why not use Hagrid's hut while he is gone?" she asked hurriedly.  
Professor Sprout blinked in surprise but smiled brightly after a moment. "I didn't know you were leaving, Hagrid. Oh but could I? The plants need to be kept in the dark and, well, your hut is rather ideal for it," she said, glancing at the cluttered windowsills.  
Opening and closing his mouth several times, Hagrid looked from face to face. Apparently unable to come up with an excuse, he let his shoulders droop in defeat. "Yes, sure, okay," he mumbled but was soon smiling as Hermione and Harry patted him on the back.  
  
****  
  
It was mid October when Hagrid left. Madame Maxime came to the school one night with her magical carriage and Hagrid left with wishes of good luck and orders to write often. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood standing out on the fields until the carriage disappeared from sight along the horizon. Sighing, Harry reached down to scratch Fang behind the ears. The boar hound whined, already missing his friend. The number of Care for Magical Creature classes would be cut in half and the ones that were still running would be taught by Oliver Wood. Professor McGonagall insisted that she had managed to get along fine years before without an assistant and that Wood would do fine on his own.  
The three friends escorted the boar-hound to Oliver's room, where he would be staying, and stayed around for a quick cup of tea. Both Ron and Hermione left when they were done while Harry was kept back to discuss Quidditch strategy. The team had been practicing three nights a week for now and they were only a month away from the first Quidditch game of the year. And in Wood's mind, it was never to early to start planning. It was past lights out when Wood finally relented.  
"Well, I guess-" Harry said, pausing for a wide yawn, "I guess I'll have to practice that dive a bit more if you insist it's the best plan."  
"It is, it is. But no more Quidditch tonight," Wood grinned and pulled out a small bit of parchment. Scribbling a excuse on it, he handed it over to Harry.  
"Whatever you say, /Professor/ Wood," Harry said with a laugh as Oliver made a face. Though all the aids were not official teachers, Dumbledor had decided the all merited titles of Professor- much to Wood distaste.   
Leaving the Wood and Fang, Harry headed back to the Gryffindor common room. For once he had permission to be wandering the halls so late at night. With Oliver's pass, no one could yell at him or find fault with him. He was even tempted to start whistling just to irritate Flitch who was undoubtedly stalking the halls. Harry had just wet his lips when he had just turned down another stretch of corridor and found the sneaking form of Hermione creeping along the hall. She jumped in surprise when she saw him, but instantly relaxed when she realized who it was.  
"What are you doing here?" Harry hissed, suddenly worried about getting her in trouble.  
"I should ask the same of you," she shot back, tip-toeing to his side. "I waited up for you but when you never came back, I got worried."  
"You shouldn't be wandering the halls at night," Harry said, gripping her arm and heading towards the common room. "It isn't safe to be roaming the halls at night, you could be caught or.."  
Harry trailed off as Hermione yanked her arm away from him. "What?" she snapped, no longer speaking in a whisper. "It's okay for you and Ron to scamper about the grounds at night but not me? Are you suggesting I can't take care of myself?"  
Surprised by the venom in her voice, Harry took a step back. "I.. I just don't want you to get in trouble. You're not exactly tops at sneaking around." Harry waved a hand and smiled weakly to suggest how he had caught her. "If you have to sneak out, take Ron or myself with you."  
Hermione sniffed. "You sound like Kareem, thinking girls can't do anything. For your information-" But she quickly cut herself off.  
There was the pounding sound of running feet. Harry and Hermione both spun around, staring in surprise. The frantic figure of Professor Rhatt rounded the corner, running at top speed. In one hand was clenched her wand, glowing in the darkness, and in the other a piece of parchment. Her robes fanned out behind her and she did not even pause to scold them for being out so late. Hermione stumbled back with a grunt as the Professor knocked into her and continued sprinting down the hall.  
"Why that-" Hermione began to mutter, rubbing her shoulder and glaring down the hall where Rhatt had disappeared.   
"What do you think happened?" Harry asked in surprise. Try as he might, he could hear nothing other then the retreating footsteps of the Professor. Certainly there would be a lot of noise if the school was under attack. "Where do you think she is going? She didn't even yell at us for being up!"  
"I don't know, but it can't be good. She had a piece of paper, didn't you see? Probably some urgent message," Hermione frowned and glanced around. "It can't be good… we should be going before she comes back." She turned to go but Harry reached out to stop her with a hand on the shoulder.  
"Think about what I said, okay?" He asked nervously. Hermione stood there for several moments, her bushy hair illuminated by the torchlight. Without reply, she slid away from his hand and left. Sighing loudly, Harry turned and leaned back against the wall. Running a hand over his face, he knocked his glasses askew. Did that mean she would? Or not… Why did girls have to be so confusing? He was just trying to look out for her. That's what friends did, right?  
  
The question of what had worried Professor Rhatt did not remain unanswered for long. The next morning at breakfast was one few would forget. The air was charged and the moment the students walked into the room, they knew something was wrong. Several students were absent and the sight of Seamus with puffy red eyes greeted Harry when he entered. A pair of sixth year girls at the Hufflepuff table cried on each other's shoulders until Professor Sprout hurried over to usher them out of the room.  
Harry and Ron exchanged nervous looks before moving to sit down. Hermione looked pale, apparently aware of what happened, but only shook her head as Ron opened his mouth to ask. Harry noticed the Slytherin table lacked no students, but they too looked shaken. He felt his stomach turn- what could be bad enough to wipe the perpetual sneer off their smug faces?  
When the last of the students who would apparently be showing up had filtered in, Dumbuldor moved to stand. He did not even have to call for the student's attention as everyone waited to hear what was wrong. Harry scanned the teacher's table and noticed both Sprout and Flitwick missing, the remaining ones looking tired.  
"As all of you remember," the Headmaster started in an steady voice, "Lord Voldemort returned last year. It has been many years since he last terrorized the land and too many people refused to believe of his return. But now they do. There was an attack on the Peeked Hat wizarding community," there was a collective gasp from the students, ".. and there were casualties. It was lead by those Death Eaters who have remained free among us while Voldemort was lost. They targeted known Muggle born wizards and especially the few Muggles living in the community."  
There was a cry from many students at this and several more broke down in tears. Harry caught sight of Seamus farther down the table, ducking his head, his eyes closed tightly. Dumbledor raised his hands and the Hall quieted again, aside from the occasional uncontrolled sob.  
"Several students lost loved ones in this attack, and we ask you treat this with the delicacy it requires. It has also been agreed by the Ministry and many families that you students will be safest here. No one is being sent home and we hope you understand the threat sneaking off grounds poses for you, some in particular," Harry felt Dumbledor's gaze, even as he ducked his head. "The penalty for sneaking off will be even stricter then it was two years ago." Though everyone waited for more, Dumbledor sat down without another comment.   
The Hall immediately broke out into whispers. The missing students slowly filtered in during breakfast or came back during classes. Their eyes were red and puffy and they were immediately surrounded by sympathetic friends. As Harry and Ron moved to comfort Seamus, whose Muggle father had been lost, Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Voldemort was back and people were dying. And although Harry was accredited to ridding him the first time, he felt as though he was responsible for this mess. "Blood of the enemy forcibly taken you will resurrect your foe," Wormtail's voice echoed through his mind. If he hadn't gotten to the cup, if he had only tried harder to escape, if only… The possibilities and "what if"s churned in his stomach making him sick. Lucky his look of pain blended in well with the faces of the morning students.   
The teachers went easier on the students during the day, especially those who lost family and were prone to getting up and leave in the middle of the class crying. Even Snape was less strict then normal. He did not turn a blind eye when Seamus's potion turned the wrong shade of blue, but told the boy what he did wrong in the closest thing to kindness then anyone had ever seen. The student's would have been shocked if they were not already reeling from the reported twenty-one deaths already.   
It was when everyone was heading back to their common rooms after dinner that the Slytherin attitude reared its ugly head. As Harry, Ron, Dean, and Seamus were walking down one of the more remote corridors, they passed trouble. Christopher lounged against the wall, his two new fans Cabby and Goyal, attempting, and failing, to strike equally casual poses on either side of him. The older boy's dark eyes glittered in the torchlight, his gaze following Seamus. When the boy had just passed him, he pushed off from the wall, grinning.  
"Seamus," Christopher called, dropping a hand on Seamus's shoulder. When he turned, the two locked gazes and air around them seemed to chill. The malicious and evil smile Christopher wore caused both Harry and Ron to clench their fists as well as their teeth. Though his gesture was comradely, the look he had pasted on that finely chiseled face of his was pure evil. Seamus flinched and turned away, to sad and tired to start a fight. Though he continued on towards the Gryfindor common room, Ron, Dean, and Harry remained where they were, ready to fight.  
Goyal and Cabby moved to flank Christopher, cracking their knuckles and equally ready to brawl. Interestingly enough, it was Christopher who prevented the potential blood bath. Winking mockingly, he spun on his heal and strode the opposite way down the corridor. His two side-kicks, having expected a fight, took several moments to realize what happened and make their own exit. Dean shook his head in disgust and hurried to his friend's side for the rest of the way back. Harry and Ron remained in the where they were, muttering.  
"How could he do something like that! Seamus's dad just dies and he mocks him! That guys is just sick!" Ron shook his head and continued to clench and unclench his fists.  
"I didn't like that wink," Harry said, "you better be careful Ron. You're dad is well known for being a Muggle fan. Does Dean have Muggle relations?"  
"Me?" Ron asked, looking to his friend in surprised, "*You're* the one they all want to kill! You escaped You-Know-Who twice! My family is nothing compared to you on their To Kill list."  
Harry hook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, "But those people at that village. What did they do? Herm showed me the article on the attack after Potions, they had no reason to kill those people. There was only one Ministry official among the tweny-one killed, and they we just someone low rank. If those people can be attacked, then anyone is at risk." A thought suddenly occurred to him, his brow creasing. "I hope Herm's parents are safe. They're both Muggles…"  
"Hermione's parents?" Ron blinked in surprised, "Wha- I'm sure they're fine. They live with Muggles in a Muggle city. As crazy as the Death Eaters are, I don't think they're ready to take on the entire Muggle population at once."  
In the end, all Harry could do was agree and continue to feel horrible inside. They got back to the common room before lights out and found it nearly empty. Herm had waited up for them but only reminded them to study for the O.W.L.S before hurrying off to bed herself.   
  
****  
  
As the days went by, Hogwarts slowly began to lighten up. The fear and sadness was slowly replaced once again by the loads of homework and bustle of everyday life. But Seamus, like many others, never quite lost that haunted look to their yes.   



End file.
